Food Labels: Decoding Food Terms

March 3, 2015

March is National Nutrition Month. As Americans strive to better understand the new dietary recommendations set forth in the Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, many struggle to best understand just what we are eating. Decoding food labels and food marketing buzz words can be a challenge, especially when so many of the terms are vague.

Donald Hensrud, M.D., offers insight on what some common terms such as whole, unprocessed, low fat and natural mean and how they affect our health.

And, he provides tips on how to shop a grocery store to find the most healthful food items, including vegetables, whole grain breads and pastas, brown rice, lean meats, fish, beans, low-fat dairy products and heart-healthy fats such as nuts and olive oils.